Sexual Assault

Statistics About Sexual Violence

Sexual Violence In The U.S.

One in five women and one in 71 men will be raped at some point in their lives

46.4% lesbians, 74.9% bisexual women and 43.3% heterosexual women reported sexual violence other than rape during their lifetimes, while 40.2% gay men, 47.4% bisexual men and 20.8% heterosexual men reported sexual violence other than rape during their lifetimes.

Nearly one in 10 women has been raped by an intimate partner in her lifetime, including completed forced penetration, attempted forced penetration or alcohol/drug-facilitated completed penetration. Approximately one in 45 men has been made to penetrate an intimate partner during his lifetime. (b)

91% of the victims of rape and sexual assault are female, and 9% are male.

In eight out of 10 cases of rape, the victim knew the person who sexually assaulted them.

8% of rapes occur while the victim is at work.

Cost and Impact

Each rape costs approximately $151,423.

Annually, rape costs the U.S. more than any other crime ($127 billion), followed by assault ($93 billion), murder ($71 billion), and drunk driving ($61 billion)

81% of women and 35% of men report significant short-term or long-term impacts such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Health care is 16% higher for women who were sexually abused as children.

Child Sexual Abuse

One in four girls and one in six boys will be sexually abused before they turn 18 years old.

94% of people who sexually abuse a child are family members.

12.3% of women were age 10 or younger at the time of their first rape/victimization, and 30% of women were between the ages of 11 and 17.

27.8% of men were age 10 or younger at the time of their first rape/victimization.

More than one-third of women who report being raped before age 18 also experience rape as an adult.

96% of people who sexually abuse children are male, and 76.8% of people who sexually abuse children are adults.

325,000 children are at risk of becoming victims of commercial child sexual exploitation each year.

The average age at which girls first become victims of prostitution is 12 to 14 years old, and the average age for boys is 11 to 13 years old.

Campus Sexual Assault

One in 5 women and one in 16 men are sexually assaulted while in college.

More than 90% of sexual assault victims on college campuses do not report the assault.

63.3% of men at one university who self-reported acts qualifying as rape or attempted rape admitted to committing repeat rapes.

Crime reports

Rape is the most under-reported crime; 63% of sexual assaults are not reported to police.

Only 12% of child sexual abuse is reported to the authorities.

The prevalence of false reporting is between 2% and 10%. For example, a study of eight U.S. communities, which included 2,059 cases of sexual assault, found a 7.1% rate of false reports. A study of 136 sexual assault cases in Boston found a 5.9% rate of false reports. Researchers studied 812 reports of sexual assault from 2000-03 and found a 2.1% rate of false reports.